Dmitry Gromov open raised from the cutoff and Anatoly Chen three-bet from the button, which only Gromov called.
The flop came J♦J♣Q♥ and Gromov led for 5,500, which Chen called. On the 7♠ turn, Gromov led again for 25,000. Chen took a moment and then folded his cards.
Picking up the action on a flop of 2♥4♦Q♥, Hadi Khordbin led with a bet of 4,000 and Sergei Petrushevskii called. On the K♣ turn, Khordbin flicked out a large bet and was quickly called again.
The river came the 3♣ and Khordbin pushed all in. Petrushevskii snapped his face off and revealed 4♣4♠ for a set of fours. Khordbin's cards were quickly scooped and he left the table as the first to bust on Day 1a of the Global Poker Championship.
Khordbin later reentered the flight and sat down with a fresh starting stack.
After a short delay, players are taking their seats. It's time to shuffle up and deal for Day 1a of the $2,200 Global Poker Championship.
Level: 1
Blinds: 200/500
Ante: 500
The 2026 Mediterranean Poker Party begins today at the newly renovated Merit Crystal Cove Hotel in Cyprus, with $10,000,000 guaranteed across the schedule. The action kicks off with Day 1a of the $2,200 Global Poker Championship, which itself offers a $2,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. The first of four starting flights starts at 12 p.m. local time.
Last year's $2,200 event, the Luxon Pay Grand Final, was taken down by Ivan Bryksin, who bested Nasser Al Mujaibel heads-up to claim the $375,000 top prize.
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivan Bryksin | Russia | $375,000 |
| 2 | Nasser Al Mujaibel | Kuwait | $250,500 |
| 3 | Stefan-Sebastian Ionita | Romania | $177,000 |
| 4 | Konstantin Voronin | Russia | $130,000 |
| 5 | Vlado Banicevic | Serbia | $95,000 |
| 6 | Alvaro Gonzalez | Spain | $72,000 |
| 7 | Julian Menhardt | Germany | $57,200 |
| 8 | Tymofii Savkin | Ukraine | $46,000 |
| 9 | Alexandru Lupuleac | Romania | $37,540 |
For Day 1a of the Global Poker Championship, players will start with 100,000 chips and play down to the money, an estimated 15-levels. Blinds increase every 30-minutes, with a 15-minute break scheduled every four levels. Late registration remains open until the end of Level 10, around 5.30 p.m. local time.
Evening flights for the event will have a faster structure, with Day 1d running as a turbo with 15-minute blinds. The blind structure becomes increasingly generous for Day 2 and Day 3 as the Global Poker Championship plays closer to a winner.
| Day | Date | Start Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1a | Sept 17 | 12 p.m. | 30 mins |
| Day 1b | Sept 17 | 8 p.m. | 20 mins |
| Day 1c | Sept 18 | 12 p.m. | 30 mins |
| Day 1d | Sept 18 | 8 p.m. | 15 mins |
| Day 2 | Sept 19 | 12 p.m. | 50 mins |
| Day 3 | Sept 20 | 12 p.m. | 60 mins |
*Final table blind levels on Day 3 decrease as players are eliminated.
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Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates of the $2,200 Global Poker Championship as reporters follow this event, and others from the 2026 MPP.
$2,200 Global Poker Championship
Day 1ab Started
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